Fire & Blood
by FireAndIce123
Summary: Members of the Water Tribe need blood from humans to survive, but they're also scared of fire and light. Zuko and Azula are hunters and they encounter one particular Water Tribe boy from Azula's past. Vampire AU. Submission for Avatar: The Last Writer.


**A/N: Team: Fire Nation**

 **Round: 5**

 **Category: Themed**

 **Prompt: Vampire AU**

 **Word count: 3658**

The pale moon provided them with enough light to nod at each other. They didn't need to say anything - both of them knew what to do.

Azula took a deep breath before releasing her signature blue fire. It was bright enough for Zuko to have to squeeze his eyes. The two Water Tribes screamed in pain, trying to shield themselves from it. Azula slowly raised her hands and the fire crept towards the two creatures.

They turned their backs on the fire and noticed the two hunters. Their words were lost in the sounds of the raging fire, but Azula had a feeling she knew what they were saying. Joining her left hand with her right in a counterclockwise motion, the fire now formed a circle, trapping the two bloodlusting vampires.

'Are you ready?' she asked her brother.

Zuko nodded, grabbing his crucifix. He had to be swift and fearless. 'I'll separate them,' Azula said. The backs of her hands facing each other, she split them. There were now to small circles of fire, two cages for the monsters they were about to kill.

They came closer. Azula could see the small drops of sweat on Zuko's forehead.

'The left one first,' she said. 'She was the strongest one.'

Zuko didn't ask how she knew that - she just did. 'Three, two, one!' Azula counted.

Zuko darted forward. He used his bending to enter the circle. The vampire he was about to kill was sitting on the ground, arms around her legs, her face buried in her knees. As always, Zuko forced himself not to feel any pity.

They were not human - they had never been. Ever since the Water Tribe hat become synonymous with 'vampire', they had been enemies to the human race. Only the Fire Nation was still standing after a hundred years of war - and that was only because of their fire benders.

No, he could not afford himself to feel pity.

The Water Tribe girl screamed when Zuko set her shirt on fire. He didn't enjoy torturing them, but if he wanted to stab them, he had to do it from the front - underneath the ribs. That was the quickest way to hit her heart.

Weakened by the fire and surprised by Zuko, she didn't manage to defend herself from the wood piercing her skin. She gasped, her eyes turning towards Zuko's face. He jumped back. He had trained to defeat vampires for almost twenty years now - he knew what to expect.

The girl tried to grab him. If only she could get her hands on some fresh blood, she might be able to survive the stake to the heart.

But she didn't get anything. She struggled for a few more seconds before she fell back, her lips slightly parted.

Zuko returned to Azula, grabbing another crucifix. 'Do you want to do the next one?' he asked.

Azula didn't want to, but she nodded nonetheless. Killing them wasn't easy, even if it was necessary. They looked like humans - sometimes hunters felt like murderers.

She was quicker about it then he was. Zuko let the fire disappear after she returned at his side.

'Let's get it over with,' Azula grunted. She removed the crucifixes from their hearts - in this world, one could never have enough crucifixes - before she lit them on fire. 'Let's move on,' she muttered. 'The night is long.'

Zuko nodded. 'Hopefully without any further attacks,' he said.

'Probably.'

Azula and him were a good team. They had killed over a hundred vampires by now - but there still were a lot more. Zuko didn't know how many there were on Fire Nation territory - let alone in the world.

But he wasn't ready to give up the world just yet. For now, he would content himself with removing them from the Fire Nation. After that, they would go to the Earth Kingdom - or what was left of it. He wouldn't stop fighting until they were all gone.

They walked in silence. Zuko was never very talkative after they had killed a vampire - which was most of the time. As Azula liked to say: a day in which they didn't kill at least one vampire, was a wasted day.

Sometimes, when he felt guilty, Zuko tried to think of the lives they had saved.

'Zuko,' Azula said. Her tone conveyed something was wrong. Zuko strengthened his grip on his crucifix and turned, so that Azula and him were back to back. 'Where?' Zuko asked.

'I'm not sure… I think, left.'

They waited - until Zuko was starting to think Azula had imagined it. It wouldn't be strange - they almost never got a good night's sleep. Even though she refused to show it, she was probably tired as well.

'There!' Azula yelled as a fireball erupted from her fingertips. In its light, they could see a lone figure. _Of course she hadn't imagined it_.

'Only one!' Zuko yelled. It would be an easy target.

Azula jumped, stretching her arms, her fingers pointing towards the sky. A large wall of fire appeared behind the vampire, cutting off his escape route.

Zuko ran forwards as Azula curled the wall, trying to capture the vampire. He was quick and jumped over the flames, now racing towards Zuko.

Zuko took a deep breath before throwing the crucifix.

The vampire dodged it, but he lost his pace and almost stumbled. Zuko grabbed his swords, but to his surprise, the vampire had one as well.

They fought.

Zuko moved more elegantly, his blades coates with fire as they flew through the air, working in unison. The vampire only had one sword and seemed to rely on his strength.

Zuko had to jump back to stop his nose from being sliced of. One of his swords was hit out of his hands and Zuko almost fell. The vampire was now so close Zuko could see his face in the light of the fire.

'Remember me?' the vampire said.

He jumped forward, but Zuko managed to move out of the way. He was in a disadvantage now, having only one swords that was significantly thinner than the axe-like type the vampire used. Zuko stumbled back, trying to create some distance between him and the monster. The Water Tribe had a perfect opening right now.

'Ha!' the vampire said, before jumping forward. Zuko could see his eyes having a faint red glow - he wasn't sure if it was because of the fire, or because the vampire was really thirsty.

The Water Tribe man had forgotten about Azula.

The vampire screamed as a burning arrow hit his chest. It seemed to have missed his heart, but he fell on the ground anyway. His hands tried to smother the flames.

'I do remember you,' Azula said. She held the bow and arrow, aiming for his heart as she came closer.

 _Azula hated the night._

 _Every sensible human being did._

 _She crossed her arms in front of her chest as she looked out off the window. The night was being lit up by the uncountable number of small fires. It was a good time to be a single Firebender - they were more desired than ever. Fire was the only thing that could keep them away._

 _She closed her curtains and walked back to her bed. Azula desperately wanted to get some sleep, but it was hard to relax after what had happened only a few days ago._

 _A few members of the Water Tribe had attacked them._

 _It was foolish of them, of course. The only reason the Fire Nation was the safest place on earth was their Firebending. Vampires hated it and fled from it, the mere sight hurting their eyes._

 _The vampires had been caughts and locked up. When the sun rose, they burned alive in the direct sunlight. A fitting punishment._

 _Azula rang for the servants. She would try to get some rest, even though she knew she would probably lie awake all night._

 _No servants came._

 _Azula frowned and rang again. She waited two minutes before getting annoyed. Azula stood up and walked towards the door. Touching the doorknob, a strange feeling crept over her._

 _Azula prided herself on her intuition - and right now, she just knew something was wrong._

 _The question was what she was going to do about it. She remember what her father had told her - flee to the Royal Catacombs, the Fire Chamber. There she would be safe. It was only evening, so it would take at least ten hours before the sun would be there again. Their protector. She needed to get there._

 _But before she would flee, she needed to check up on someone._

 _The corpse was pale. Only a small amount of blood pooled around her neck, that was tainted with almost human teeth marks._

 _Azula had never been so scared in her entire life. Fear settled in her stomach, taking over her head and her entire body._

I'm going to die, aren't I?

 _No, she told herself while stepping over the body. I'm Princess Azula of the Fire Nation. I never give up and I'm not that easily killed._

 _The door to her brother's chamber was open. WIthout wanting to, Azula took a deep breath. If they had killed him… she would go to the Water Tribe herself and burn it down to ashes. Or melt it._

 _She slowly walked into the room. It was dark, but light from the outside fires and the moon spilled in through the opened window. Azula quickly closed it as sofly as she could. The sinister feeling hadn't left her body just yet - and it suddenly got stronger. She jumped up when the door was closed behind her._

' _Well, well,' an amused voice said._

' _Azula!' That was Zuko. 'Get out of here.'_

 _A vampire had his arm placed around Zuko's neck, almost making it impossible for him to breathe._

 _Azula remembered all her lessons on vampires. Light, they hated light. 'Let go of my brother!' she yelled. She conjured a flame, holding it in her hand._

 _The Water Tribe boy hissed and placed a hand in front of his eyes, protecting them. Azula saw he was only a few years older than she was. He had all the features of a vampire; the dark skin, the blue eyes and the dark brown hair._

' _Let go of my brother,' she repeated._

' _No,' the vampire said. 'Your fire might hurt me - but it can't stop me.'_

' _It can when I set you on fire.'_

' _That would stop me,' the vampire agreed. 'But your brother would burn along with me.' He grinned. 'There's no need to be so grumpy. We only want to have a small dinner - I'll leave afterwards, I promise.'_

 _Azula gritted her teeth. 'You're leaving now!'_

 _The Water Tribe boy shook his head. 'I'm afraid I'm too hungry to do that… but not hungry enough to kill you. If you only allow me a sip… you'll both live.'_

 _Azula frowned. She never heard of Water Tribe letting their victims live._

' _You're rather pretty,' the Water Tribe boy said. 'Allow me a drink - not much, just a small donation - and you won't die. I'll even protect you brother.'_

' _No!' Zuko said._

' _I'll even tell my family not to kill anyone else,' the Water Tribe boy continued._

' _Your… family?'_

' _O yes. You didn't think I came alone, did you?' He flashed her a smile, showing her his sharp teeth._

 _Azula's brain felt as if it was working slower as usual. She had to focus._

' _Just a small drink,' the boy said. 'I've heard it can be quite pleasant for donors.'_

 _Azula's forced herself to think. 'You'll leave my brother alone?'_

' _Of course,' the Water Tribe boy said._

' _Azula, what do you think you're doing?' Zuko's voice souded strange. His eyes were big and conveyed anger. 'Leave my sister alone!'_

' _Trust me, Zuko,' she said. She looked at the Water Tribe boy. 'We have a deal.'_

 _The boy flashed his creepy grin again._

' _Zuko, leave the room,' Azula ordered him._

 _Her brother didn't understand a thing._

' _Just do it!' she told him. 'Get to the Fireroom - you'll be safe there.'_

' _But…'_

' _Just do it!'_

 _Zuko hesitated._

 _'Zuko! I know what I'm doing!'_

 _Zuko left._

 _Azula felt her heart pumping twice as fast as usual. She took a few deep breaths._

' _Don't worry, it will barely hurt,' the Water Tribe boy said. He placed a hand on her waist and Azula tried to jump back. He chuckled. 'Most girls even desire it... it can feel, quite…' Azula would never find out what being bitten felt like. At least, not in that moment._

 _Water Tribe members could very much be dead, but they still had a heartbeat. And they didn't appreciate being hit by a lightning bolt._

 _The boy fell on the ground and didn't move. Azula normally wore a crucifix, but of course she had forgotten it, so she couldn't make sure the Water Tribe boy stayed dead._ _She didn't have time to look for Zuko's. Instead, she left the room to find her brother. If they stayed together… they might had a chance to survive._

 _Zuko jumped inside the room, his hands coated in fire. 'You okay?' he asked._

 _Azula nodded. 'I told you I knew what I was doing,' she said._

 _'What now?' Zuko asked._

 _'Now... we just… make sure to flee.'_

 _There were more dead bodies, carelessly tossed on the floor. It made Zuko sick._

 _'Wait,' Azula hissed, pushing him againt the wall._

 _'More?' Zuko whispered._

 _Azula placed a finger against her lips. Zuko stayed silent._

 _'Is that... dad?' he whispered._

 _Azula glanced around the corner. 'Soldiers,' she said._

' _The Prince and Princess!' one of them yelled._

' _Zuko! Azula!'_

 _Ursa forced herself past the soldiers and grabbed her children. 'I was so scared… so… o Agni, you two are safe!'_

~0o0o0o0~

' _Since you almost killed me, I think you should tell me your name,' the Water Tribe boy said._

 _Azula frowned. 'Why do you keep asking for me?' she demanded._

' _Why did you come?'_

 _Azula didn't know why she had come. Everyone had told her not to - her father, her mother, even her brother._

 _And here she was._

' _My name's Sokka,' the Water Tribe boy said._

' _I don't care what your name is,' Azula grunted. 'You're nothing but a…'_

' _... a what?'_

' _A vampire!'_

 _The boy frowned. 'That's not nice to say. I prefer 'Water Tribe'.'_

' _What's the difference?'_

' _The difference is being polite.'_

 _Azula sighed and shook her head. She didn't care about her manners in front of this creature. 'What do you want from me?'_

' _Right now, I would like to hear your name,' Sokka said._

 _Azula took a step towards him. Sokka sat in the corner of his cell, the only place he could be without being hit by the sunlight._

 _Being closer to him, she could now she his face. The skin seemed grayish and his eyes almost red._

' _You must be thirsty,' she said._

' _Kicking your enemy while they're down?' Sokka asked._

' _My name's Azula.'_

' _Azula,' Sokka repeated slowly. 'I'd very much like you to come closer to me.'_

' _And why would I do that?'_

' _It will not kill you,' Sokka said. 'Just… it will stop me from dying. Please?'_

 _Azula took a few steps towards him, even though her mind screamed her to step back. Azula had to blink a few times. 'You…' She shook her head and stumbled back._

' _No!' Sokka screamed._

' _You tried to curse me!' Azula yelled._

 _She didn't want for his response. Instead she backed away from him. 'Azula, come back,' Sokka pleaded._

 _There was something about his voice, something that made Azula want to obey. She hesitated for a few seconds._

' _Please.'_

 _Azula took a hesitant step in his direction, before yelling 'no' and taking a few steps. She covered her ears._

' _Azula!' Sokka said. She could still hear him, but this time, her mind didn't cloud._

' _You… disgusting, blood-sucking… monster!' Azula said._

' _No, Azula, please! I'm dying!' Sokka said. He sounded as if he was on the verge of tears. 'My sister, Katara… I don't know what they did to her!'_

 _Azula resolutely turned her back on him and climbed the stairs to get away from the Water Tribe boy. Behind him, she heard Sokka scream her name._

' _Princess, are you alright?' one of the guards asked._

 _Azula nodded, slowly letting her hands fall. Sokka's screams didn't penetrate the thick walls of his dungeon._

' _He's… dangerous,' she said._

' _Don't you worry, Princess,' the guard said. 'He's starving - it won't be long before he's dead.'_

 _~ 0o0o0o0 ~_

' _If we're going to let him die anyway, why not execute him,' Azula asked her parents._

' _Azula, that's none of your business,' Ursa said._

' _It's because we want to learn more about them, of course,' Ozai said. 'We don't know a lot about their kind - and if we want to destroy every last one of them, we need to know everything about them.'_

 _Azula nodded slowly._

' _I told you it was a bad idea to visit him,' Ursa said._

' _I hope you don't pity him,' Ozai said, narrowing his eyes._

' _Of course not!' Azula spat out. 'He disgusts me!' She shook her head. 'I was just curious, that's all.'_

' _What happened to the other vampires, father?' Zuko asked._

' _The ones that didn't die were locked up as well,' Ozai said shrugging. Some of them are used for training purposes.'_

' _Won't that be an unfair fight?' Azula asked. 'They're weakened because of their hunger. It won't teach our soldiers how it is to fight a real vampire.'_

 _Ozai chuckled. 'Sharp observation, Azula. But they're not sta_ r _ving. We give them blood of the deceased. As you said - we need to prepare our soldiers for the real deal.' He took a brief pause when he sipped his wine._

' _You should train with them as well,' he said._

' _Ozai!' Ursa gasped. 'She's only a child.'_

 _Azula rolled her eyes. 'Mother, I'm no longer a child. I'm a hunter.'_

'You would've let me die,' Sokka said.

'I would,' Azula muttered. 'You're a monster. A blood-sucking monster.'

'You've killed more people than I did,' Sokka retorted.

'I doubt that. And even if that's true: we only kill your kind. Murderers. I'd say we saved a lot of people by doing that.'

Sokka's eyes narrowed.

'I only want to ask - what is it that you did to me when I came to visit you?' Azula asked. 'You seemed to curse me - I've never seen another vampire try it.'

Sokka chuckled, even though there still was an arrow sticking into his chest. It didn't bother him as much as it would a human.

'It only works on humans that are attracted to the Water Tribe in question,' he said. 'I noticed you and I had a thing going on - and I was really thirsty, so I decided to give it a try.'

He licked his lips. 'That's why it didn't work on the guards either… trust me, I tried, but it seems I wasn't really their type.'

'You're not my type either!' Azula said, a little too loud.

Sokka raised one eyebrow. 'Then why did it work on you?' he asked.

'I… I was a fourteen-year-old girl,' Azula said.

'So you don't think it would work on you now?' Sokka asked. 'I can try…'

'No!' Azula and Zuko said at the same time. Azula had to suppress the urge to glance at her brother - she had to focus on the vampire in front of her.

'I've another question,' she said.

'Why would I answer that?' Sokka responded. 'Seeing as you're about to kill me... Maybe if you let me have a small drink… a last meal, so to say?'

'I'm not a meal!' Azula said, her cheeks flushing. She hoped Sokka would think it was because of anger, because a part of her was _curious_. Sokka had spoken to her about desire, she remembered. How would it feel to be bitten?

'Of course not,' Sokka said politely. 'But if you want me to answer your question…'

Azula gritted her teeth.

'Ignore him, 'Zula,' Zuko said. 'You can't trust his kind.'

Sokka's eyes widened in mock-hurt.

'I only want to know how you escaped,' Azula said.

Sokka chuckled. 'No, you want to know if there's something special about us Water Tribe that your precious fire nation army knows nothing about,' Sokka said. 'Maybe the rumours are true and we can change into flying bats - maybe not. Maybe…'

He screamed when Azula produced a small shot of lightning, blinding him.

'You could give me the answer or I could go on like this for hours,' she snapped.

'Fine, fine,' Sokka said. 'I got help.'

Azula narrowed her eyes.

'I'm not going to give away my allies,' Sokka said, raising one eyebrow. 'Unless…' He wiggled his eyebrows.

Zuko tried to set his clothes on fire, but his flames turned blue before they disappeared. 'Here's the deal,' Azula said. 'Take or it leave it - and by leave it, I mean die.'

Sokka swallowed.

'You tell us who helped you escape - and you won't die tonight.'

'You'll let me go?' Sokka said.

Azula smirked and shook her head. 'No - you'll be coming with us.'


End file.
